Bono: send Amy Schumer and Chris Rock to fight Islamic State

U2 singer reassures Senate subcommittee he is serious about using comedians to humiliate ‘goose-stepping’ Isis with the power of laughter

Never one for holding back on an opinion, Bono has come up with a new way of destroying Islamic State – not with bombs, but with belly laughs. The U2 singer said sending comedians such as Amy Schumer and Sacha Baron Cohen would be an effective alternative to airstrikes.

Bono was speaking in front of a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday 12 April, during a wide-ranging discussion on the Middle East and the refugee crisis. He said: “Don’t laugh. I think comedy should be deployed. It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you laughat them, when they’re goose-stepping down the street, and it takes away their power. So, I’m suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer, and Chris Rock, and Sacha Baron Cohen, thank you.”

The 55-year-old had to reassure the crowd at the Dirksen Senate Office Building that he was “actually being serious” and in response he received a serious reply.

“Actually, that’s not the first time I’ve heard experts on how do we counter violent extremism talk about that,” said senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat for New Hampshire. “It’s one of the things that we’re looking at.”

Speaking on the refugee crisis, Bono said: “Aid in 2016 is not charity; it is national security. It could be the best bulwark we have against violent extremism.”

The U2 singer had been invited to speak by Lindsey Graham, chairman of the subcommittee, Republican senator and former 2016 presidential candidate.